Protecting the marine ecosystem
Working with the federal and provincial governments with interests in the offshore energy industry, Nova Scotia Energy led the efforts to establish national marine ecosystem requirements for the conduct of offshore seismic programs. In 2005, the governments released a Statement of Practice that covers seismic testing to identify potential offshore oil and gas reserves. It outlines practices for:
- Base-line requirements for seismic activities
- Methods to mitigate potential negative effects on the marine environment.
These consistent requirements will reduce uncertainty for the operators who conduct seismic programs, and they help protect the marine ecosystem. Measures to protect the ecosystem include a requirement to do seismic work outside of sensitive times such as spawning, establishing safety zones, and requiring the sound waves to be increased gradually to provide warning. The changes are expected to be implemented nationally in 2007.
